The Art of Dating
by crystalline talisman
Summary: Korra grows tired of putting herself into a relationship only to have a man turn around and break her heart. When her latest ex tries to start things up, her handsome yet distant new boss Mako decides to enlighten her with his philosophy of how love is a power struggle. She decides to take his advice on how to "win," and Mako finds himself losing his own war. Makorra. Modern!AUPWP
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or anything pertaining to it.

**A/N: **This writer's block is a hell of a doozy when it comes to my other stories, but I've had some inspiration for some PWP fics that are fun to write and hopefully fun for you all to read. This is _very loosely_ inspired by the Korean movie Seducing Mr. Perfect. I haven't seen it in years though, and this is just mostly largely inspired by it and will not be a transcript copy/paste. Rated T for language and sexual references. Ages have been bumped up about 11 years for this Modern!AU. I'm only planning for it to be maybe 6-8 chapters at the most.

**Full Summary: **Korra, the personal assistant to the Director of Finances for Future Industries, finds herself in the same problem of falling for the wrong guy. After getting dumped by her latest boyfriend, she finds herself taking relationship advice from the handsome yet distant new director, Mako. Mako's philosophy is love is a power struggle, and whomever comes out on top is the 'winner.' When Korra starts taking his cues with a new boyfriend, Mako soon discovers he's lost all the power he ever thought he had to his beautiful assistant.

* * *

**The Art of Dating**

Chapter 1: Detail Assessment and Planning

* * *

"Men are jerks," Korra said conclusively after sitting down at the hotel bartop beside her cousin. "Whatever you do, don't ever date, Jinora."

Jinora gave a forced laugh and took a sip of her colorful fruity drink before replacing it on the granite bar. "You don't say?"

"I say," Korra repeated.

"Whatcha need?" the bartender asked, a hand on her hip and holding out the cocktail menu.

The blue eyed woman shrugged. "Rum and Coke," she finally said and took her ID from her wallet out, hoping the bartender would ask. The older she got, the more she wanted to get asked to show her ID.

The blonde woman took the ID and looked at it for a moment before handing it back.

"Alright, so why are men jerks?" Jinora asked, putting her book up.

"Tahno doesn't want to date anymore," Korra said.

Jinora exhaled in relief. "Thank God. He's been a super dick to you. And sorry, Korra, but it should be a law that you don't date guys who are prettier than you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the elder asked, a hand on her hip.

The brown eyed university student rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, Korra. Just every time I saw him he was looking at himself in the mirror. If Carly Simon ever wrote that song for someone, it would be for him."

"I'll drink to that," Korra stirred the drink with the two small red straws before taking a sip. "It's just irritating as everything because it's the same stuff every time."

"And that is why I don't date," Jinora smiled, placing a hand on her chest.

"That, and you have impossible standards," the elder added.

Jinora leaned over to take another sip from her drink. "Maybe, but that's besides the point. Listen Korra, you're a catch; smart, beautiful, witty, and you got a killer raise at Future Industries. Who needs a man? Enjoy single life for a while. You're twenty-eight, you don't need to get married tomorrow."

"And that's the difference between your parents and mine. Back home, I'd be an old maid who's way beyond the ability to have children. My grandmother told me my amniotic fluid was rotting and my uterus was drying out."

"Yikes. That's surprising since my grandmother is from the same tribe as yours, too, but I guess at least she tells me to wait and enjoy my youth. She loved my granddad and all, but she says they were way too young to get married at seventeen and nineteen," the brunette shuddered. "Anywho, let's celebrate your raise and the fact I get to visit you while I'm in New York for the Model UN conference."

Korra clinked her glass against her cousin's, then took a long sip. "And no staying out late, okay? I have to be at work bright and early. I hear my boss is extra anal retentive."

* * *

"Fuck," Korra cursed while she bounced her right leg up and down as she waited on the subway to come to a complete stop. She took an enormous bite of the biscuit in her hands as she felt the subway begin to slow down. When the doors opened, she hopped out of the metro and ran up the stairs, bumping into a tall man. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry."

He gave her a stern look, then bent down to pick up his briefcase and check his watch. "In a rush?"

"Kinda," she replied. The blue eyed woman dialed her office as she scrambled to pick up all the papers and shove them back in her bag. She gave a genuine smile at the man, who only shook his head at her.

"Future Industries; this is Jia speaking. How may I help you?"

"Jia! It's Korra," she said into the phone, tossing the wrapper of her biscuit in the trash. "I, uh, is Mr. Mako there yet? I'm hungover like you wouldn't believe."

She heard a sound over the phone as she wiped her mouth and discovered she had a small ketchup stain. Cute. "You're fine, Mr. Mako isn't in yet. You better hurry though. You were supposed to be here five minutes ago."

Korra moved the phone from her mouth and bowed her head a bit at the man in the dark grey suit. "A thousand apologies, sorry about that. Have a good day!" She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked up the stairs towards the street, then told the receptionist on the phone, "Sorry, I just woke up late and everything but if he asks tell him I have a migraine and I had to go get something for it at the drug store."

"Will do. Hurry up." Jia replied before Korra heard the line click.

The blue eyed woman waited for the light to change then tore across the street in her flats. When she was outside the marble entrance to the offices, she took her ID badge from her bag and clipped it on her blazer then walked inside the building. She put her belongings on the conveyer belt and walked through the metal detector.

"Good morning, Korra," the security officer smiled at her.

"Morning, Saikhan," she smiled, going to the elevator and punching 36 on the floor. When the doors finally opened she walked to her office and dumped her bag on the floor after pulling her heels out from the bag and exchanging her flats.

The sapphire eyed woman pressed the power switch on her computer and opened her email, moving the mouse side to side as if it would help the computer spring to life faster. She turned her webcam on and stared at her reflection as she patted concealer on the dark circles under her eyes and put some gloss on her lips.

The phone suddenly came to life from an internal line and Korra picked it up, "Korra."

"Mr. Mako wants to see you in his office," Jia said before hanging up the line.

She rose to her feet and ran her hands through her hair before pulling it back in a neat ponytail, then walked to the office.

"Ah, yes, Mako, this is Korra. She's one of the best personal assistants and a reputable translator," Mr. Sato explained, stepping aside. "She's one in a million. My own daughter was begging me to let her have Korra, but you seemed satisfied with everything I had said about her and I figured it would be best if you kept someone from the department to help you learn the ropes of Future Industries. Korra, Mako's one of the best so please take care of him."

The young woman stood in the door frame and stared at the man looking out the large window of his office. Hadn't she seen that dark grey suit before?

"Yes, Miss Korra," he said. "How's your migraine?"

"My migraine?" she asked, then cleared her throat as she remembered her fib. "Oh, oh, it's quite alright. I went to get some medicine from the drug store."

He turned around. "Glad to hear it."

Uh oh.

_"In a rush?" asked the man in the charcoal suit at the subway._

He looked down at his computer for a moment, then back to her. "Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Sato, I can take it from here."

Mr. Sato nodded then exited the room.

"Cat got your tongue, Miss Korra?"

"N-n-no, Mr. Mako, sir. I just got dizzy," she said.

"From your hangover?" he raised his eyebrows.

And uh oh, again.

Korra gave a small laugh, looking at the floor. Great, just fucking fantastic. Not even an hour with her new salary and she was on the express lane to getting fired.

"What you do in your spare time is your business, Miss Korra. But when you're here, you're on my time. Just try not to be late again," he sat down and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Yes, Mr. Mako," she replied, sighing internally in relief.

"You can just call me Mako. Mr. Mako makes me sound like my father or something," he scoffed, his amber eyes meeting hers for a moment. His face showed sternness but his eyes were softer, almost tired.

"You can just call me Korra, then, sir."

"Where are you from, Korra?"

She blinked in surprise, shifting her wait. "Sir?"

"Where are you from?" he repeated slower. "You speak English right?"

Korra flushed. "Yes sir. Um, I'm originally from Canada. I'm Inuit. Tribal life wasn't exactly my thing, so I moved to the States for university and I've stayed here since."

"This says you speak French, Spanish, and conversational Chinese?" he held up a folder.

"Yes, sir. May I ask where you're from?" she asked in hopes of making some conversation.

"My mother was half-Japanese, half-American and my father was Taiwanese. I grew up in Taipei for a few years before I moved to Hawaii when I was twelve. So we'll practice our Chinese together," he gave a polite smile at her then put a mug on the desk. "Half a pack of sugar, lot of cream."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Coffee. Get me some," Mako said without looking up.

Korra gave a forced laugh. "I'm an assistant, not a gopher. You want coffee, go ask Jia. You want someone who will make sure your schedule runs smoothly without a hitch, coordinate with our branches abroad, and make sure this is the tightest ship you ever set foot on, I'm your woman. So I'll get your coffee this once, but next time, figure out a real assignment for me."

His golden eyes met her cerulean ones, then he moved his fist in front of his face to cover his smile of amusement. "You know what you're best suited for and you're upfront about it; I respect that, Korra. But don't talk to me like that with the door open again in front of my department. When you come back I'll have some things for you to do."

_All men are jerks._

* * *

Korra was in the break room a few days later refilling her coffee when her cellphone rang. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID. _Tahno._ The hell did he want?

"Hello?"

"Korra, listen, don't hang up!"

She sighed. "What the hell do you want? I'm at work."

"I know, I know, I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I was wrong."

The woman tapped her heel on the ground, taking a sip of the black coffee. She knew this routine; he dumped her, he would call back and apologize, and she would take him back. No - not today.

"Yeah, you were wrong," she snapped.

"I just, I thought about everything, and I want you back."

"I've heard that before."

He sighed this time. "Korra, life isn't worth living without you."

Tahno had never said that before. Not once. Did he mean it? Maybe he really had thought about it. Maybe he really did think life wasn't worth living without her... they needed to talk now.

"Who is that?" Mako's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh?" she replied absently.

"Who. Is. That." Mako repeated, breaking down the sentence.

Her eyes were wide with surprise. "It's my uh, my ex-boyfriend."

"Who's with you?" Tahno asked.

"Oh," Mako said, snatching the phone from Korra and putting it to his ear. "This is Korra's boss. Don't call her again while she's at work." He ended the call and tossed the phone back to her. "Don't make personal calls on my clock."

"That was none of your business! You could have just said to hang up and I would have!"

He snorted. "After you agreed to get back together with him, right?"

"It's none of your business," she retorted defensively, walking to her office.

"You're right, it's not. It's just sad to see how easily girls give in," he poked his head in the door frame, then walked back to his office.

Korra stalked after him. "What do you mean it's just 'sad to see how easily girls give in?' I wasn't giving in."

"You were about to. Let me guess, he threw in the I-can't-live-without-you line of some variation?"

She blinked a few times in shock.

"It's none of my business though, like you said. You can go back to work now," he said, smirking to himself.

"You can wipe that cocky grin off your face," she growled, folding her arms. "And what you do you mean the 'I-can't-live-without-you line?'"

Mako laced his fingers and propped his elbows on the desk, running his eyes over the flustered woman. "Tell you what. Lunch is in about an hour. I'll treat you to lunch and answer all your questions."

"What are you, the love guru?"

He smiled and laughed again, looking down and twisting his class ring on his finger before shaking his head. "No. I just know a lot about women and I know even more about men."

"Yeah, right," she grumbled and walked out, giving the door a firm tug behind her.

* * *

"Get whatever you like," Mako said, leaning back in his chair and waiting on her to order.

"Uh, Coke, and um," she made a small humming noise as she thought before finally saying, "double cheeseburger with everything and bacon and fries."

He raised his eyebrows at her, then looked at the waitress and said, "The same. But bring me a Dr. Pepper instead."

"Be right out," the middle aged woman said, taking the menus and walking away.

"I wouldn't think you would eat cheeseburgers like the rest of us plebeians," Korra said dryly.

"Do you want my help or not?" he said, folding his arms, ignoring her goading.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"Alright. Have you ever read Sun Tzu's _Art of War_?"

"People read that?" the blue eyed woman scoffed.

He rubbed his temple. "Have you at least heard of it?"

Korra nodded. "Yes, of course. I do have an education."

"Love, dating, relationships, and marriage is just like that. An art. Your significant other is your enemy in a way, and you have to assert dominance in the power struggle to make yourself the winner of the relationship."

"A power struggle?" Korra raised an amused eyebrow.

He held up his finger as he loosened his tie. "Don't interrupt me. It's a power struggle because whoever has the power is the one who controls the flow of the relationship. For example, let's take you and your ex-boyfriend. From what you told me on the walk over, he's the one who calls all the shots on when the relationship ends since you've yet to break up with him even after he told you he was in love with another woman, and now he calls you back and says he can't live without you and you're about to burst into tears in the break room and have some dramatic romantic comedy reunion."

"I didn't say he said that," she protested.

"Please. Don't insult my intelligence. It was written all over your face in giant neon letters from Times Square," he rolled his eyes. "You have to make him work for it. If you want this man, make him prove to you that he can't live without you."

"I can do that," Korra said, taking a sip of her Coke.

"I'll bet you can," he said sarcastically.

She jabbed her thumb against her chest. "You don't know me. I can do it."

"I'd love to see it," Mako replied, tucking his tie in his shirt as the burger was placed in front of them.

"I can make any man crawl on his knees for me."

"Good. You can start after you get off work tonight."

Korra looked at him after taking a large bite of burger and repeated with her mouth full, "Afhur ah geh uh wer huni?"

"For God's sake, Korra. Swallow," he made a face.

She laughed for a moment, then chewed and swallowed before repeating her question, "After I get off work tonight?"

"Yes. I'm having some friends come over since it's Friday night, and some of my friends are single, and you could at least meet a few."

"Are you setting me up, Mako?" she teased.

"I'm just inviting you somewhere. It's up to you to do anything about it."

She dunked a few fries in ketchup, then popped them in her mouth. "So how would you get a girl?"

"A girl?"

"Yes, how would Mako, lord of love, get a girl?"

He rubbed his jaw for a moment, contemplating the question before replying, "Mako, lord of love, doesn't date, so it doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't he date?"

"Can we stop talking in third person?" he asked. "And it's none of your business. I'm just not in a good place for it, so that's all there is to it."

"Alright, Mr. Sensitive," she took another impressive bite of her burger.

He looked at her for a moment, leaning in a bit. Korra swallowed hard, looking sideway for a moment then back at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Mako reached his hand out, touching her right cheek, then rubbing his thumb over her lip. His thumb was soft (did he moisturize?) and rested on her upper lip for a moment before he pulled it back and wiped it on his napkin. "You're a messy eater. Finish up. We need to get back to the office."

Korra wondered if he practiced in front of a mirror everyday to be arrogant, or if he just born that way.

* * *

"So you're going on a date with a guy; what do you wear?" Mako asked, replying to an email on his iPhone as Korra hailed a cab outside the office.

She looked upwards as if to mentally go through her closet. "Grey dress."

"Wrong."

"White pants."

"Bzzt."

Korra sighed in frustration. "I don't know!"

"Grey is dull and pants make it clear he's not getting anything any time soon," Mako explained, opening the door before she could. "Get in."

She blinked and slid in the cab.

"Give him your address," he instructed after climbing in after her.

Korra obliged then looked at him. "But I don't want to have sex with him on the first date."

"And I don't want you to have sex with him either," Mako answered. "If you have sex with the guy, you might as well fork over the reins to the entire relationship because you just gave over power to him."

"But what if I want to have sex with him?"

"You just said you didn't," he pointed out.

Korra watched as he put his phone in his pocket. "What if I changed my mind?"

"You didn't change your mind, he made you think you changed your mind."

"So now I'm dating a mind-controller?"

Mako sighed in exasperation. "No! Look, if you go into a date saying you aren't going to have sex with him, then you don't have sex with him. That's the problem with girls. You set rules, then change the rules midgame. Respect yourself enough not to change your mind on screwing the man when you haven't even made it through your salads."

He actually made a fair point, much to her surprise. She had never thought of it that way before, and she wondered how many times she had given into changing her plans before she have even finished her first glass of wine.

"So what do I wear then?"

"Black skirt and a turquoise blouse with black heels. The turquoise will bring out your eyes and the black reminds the guy you're sexy and a woman and keep him interested."

Korra raised an eyebrow at him, then shook her head. Mako fiddled with the red scarf around his neck when the cab finally rolled to a stop. "Alright, I texted you my address so just go there when you're ready."

"Okay. See you soon," she said, closing the door and watching the cab drive off after she stepped into her apartment complex.

Her phone rang and she saw it was her cousin as she took the elevator to the tenth floor. "Hey Jinora."

"Hey, we just got done. What are you doing tonight?"

"Hm. Want to go to a party?"

Jinora clicked her tongue. "A party? I don't know. I wasn't feeling too hot this morning and I was hoping on a lazy night. Why? Are you going to one?"

"I was planning on- hang on," she said as her phone chimed. She pulled it away and looked at the text message she just received from Mako. _Come late. Most people will be here around 10:30. Come at 11:15. _"Looks like I have more time than I expected. I can swing by and say hi."

"Alright, just call me when you get here."

"Okay, see you," she told her cousin, then closed the phone and flicked on the lights to her apartment after unlocking the door.

Her apartment was mostly organized chaos with a few piles of laundry that needed to be washed in the floor and some dishes in the sink. She imagined Mako would have an utter conniption if he saw her apartment like this. Eh, whatever. It wasn't like she was trying to completely win his approval anyway.

She went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, then unbuttoned her shirt and cast it aside carelessly and began examining herself in the mirror. Korra had dark skin and square shoulders with an ample chest that stood out, especially against her cousin's more conservative breasts. Her stomach was flat and her arms revealed strong muscles from years dedicated to practicing kickboxing and hunting when she was younger.

After growing tired of her reflection, she jerked her hair loose from the ponytail and unzipped her pants as she considered what her boss had said. Korra walked over to her closet and looked at the white pants. She finally reached in and plucked the black skirt from the rack.

"Let's see if you know what you're talking about, City Boy."

* * *

_Posted: 07/10/2012_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or anything pertaining to it.

* * *

**The Art of Dating**

Chapter 2: Strategic Warfare

* * *

Mako answered the door after what seemed like an eternity. Korra chewing her thumbnail impatiently as he inspected her. After a moment, he stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him.

"You're wearing a red shirt," he commented.

"I don't have blue," she replied.

He scratched his chin. "We should fix that."

"I'm starting to think the reason you're single is because you're unreasonable. Or gay, I haven't decided yet," Korra tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Very charming," he remarked, opening the door for her.

"Be careful - wouldn't want the iceman to fall in love with me," she winked at him, then pushed by him into the room.

Mako's apartment was meticulous - just as she expected. It had a large window with a sliding glass door that led to a small terrace and the decor was very "modern" and organized. Quite honestly, it looked like he had paid one of the interior designers from HGTV to come put everything together, then paid a maid to make sure it stayed that way.

"I didn't know you were dating again, bro," a built man with sparkling green eyes said, holding his hand out for Korra.

The pair exchanged looks before Mako quickly said, "She's definitely not my girlfriend."

"Oh, my bad," the young man apologized. "Care for a drink? Bolin the Mixmaster is in the house."

"Oh, God," Mako covered his face with his hand.

Korra smiled at him. "I would love one; thank you. You said your name was Bolin?"

"Yep! I'm Mako's brother," he walked to the kitchen and motioned for her to follow him.

The blue eyed woman smiled, but lingered behind for a moment then looked at her boss. "Definitely not your girlfriend, huh? Didn't know you felt so strongly about that one, Mako," she remarked before she strode into the kitchen. "So there are two of you, huh?"

"If by two, you mean there's Mako, then there's the hotter, smarter, funnier, more dashing one - which is me, then yes," he winked. "Wine or my specialty?"

"What's your specialty?" she asked.

"My friend likes to call it a Bolin Bomb," he smiled. "Let's just say, you'll have a hell of a night."

"Yikes, sounds a little dangerous. I think I'll take wine," she laughed.

Bolin winked. "Suit yourself. Red or white?"

"Red," she replied, taking the glass for him after he poured her some. "Are you a bartender?"

"I was when I was doing undergrad, now I'm kickboxing coach part time and a personal trainer," he smiled. "Not as fancy as Mr. Director of Finances, but I love my job."

"I do kickboxing, too," Korra smiled. "But speaking of Mr. Director of Finances, you two-"

"-don't seem anything alike, I know," Bolin cut in. "My mom used to say either Mako or I was dropped off by an alien space craft, and she still has yet to figure out who. Not to mention we really only looked alike when we were younger. Mako took after Dad and I took after Mom in looks, but he's more like her and I'm more like him when it comes to personality. Kind of a weird mix up, honestly."

"Sounds like," she replied. "So you grew up in Taiwan, too?"

"Sure did, but I haven't used my Chinese in years so it's a little rusty. Foreign languages aren't entirely my thing," he admitted. "That's Mako's department."

"Korra, can I borrow you for a minute?" Mako poked his head in the kitchen.

She looked at Bolin, then to Mako. "Uh, okay," she said, then followed him down the hallway. He closed the door behind her. Why were they in the bedroom?

"Well, now that I have you alone, I can tell you how you should go about hooking a man's attention," he explained.

"I know how to get a man's attention. I had your brother's pretty well in there," she smiled innocently.

He shook his head, denying to himself his brother's obvious attraction. "No, Bolin is just friendly. And I mean really getting a man's attention."

"I can't wait for this," Korra said, eyebrows raised.

Mako frowned. "Do you want my help or don't you?"

"No, no, I'm listening," she waved her hand. "Carry on, Lord of Love."

"Right," he muttered. "Don't linger for too long with one man. Make them think you're in high demand. Keep rotating around, and if you want, mention a man you're casually seeing. You'll want them to think you're desirable; men love women who other men love, too. It makes you seem like a treasure."

"That's kind of slimy," Korra lamented.

"So you've never been attracted to a guy one of your girlfriends were dating?" he turned his head sideways a bit in surprise.

"Well, ye-"

"Same thing," he interrupted. "When he asks for your number, don't give it right away. Leave a bit after, but before you leave, slip your number in his hand. Now, I can imagine it will be challenging for you, but try to contain your excitement and don't respond to him if he contacts you tonight at all. Don't answer him when he calls tomorrow either. You can call or text him back Sunday night."

"What if he doesn't call on Sunday?" she asked.

Mako shook his head. "No, he'll call. If you're worth it - he'll call."

"How do you know all this is going to happen if you don't date?"

He shrugged. "I just know how men are, I guess. Talk to the guy in the black shirt, the one with the Brazil jacket, and the guy with the red and white striped shirt. They're decent guys."

"I'll be the judge of that," she declared, then walked out of the room as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

Korra decided she would have found Mako incredibly sexy if he wasn't such a condescending jerk.

* * *

"Korra, are you sure you want to start dating again so soon?" her aunt Pema asked on the phone. It was just after one in New York, but with the time difference it wasn't a horribly unreasonable hour in Vancouver.

"I'm not really _dating_ dating," she explained. "I'm dating to just decide if I want to get back together with Tahno."

"Tahno?" she asked, then heard a voice in the background.

"Yeah, that pretty boy Korra likes for some unknown cosmic reason," the female with Pema chirped.

The dark skinned woman sighed. "Thanks for your two cents, Ikki."

Pema laughed for a moment, then shooed Ikki away. "Sorry. Anyway, I don't know. Haven't you guys broken up like three times already? Isn't it time to call it quits? You guys don't seem compatible to me."

Korra sighed. "I know, but..."

"You love him, I know," her aunt replied, the line crackling a bit. "It's rough."

"Tell me about it," she said. "Hang on, I got a text," Korra told Pema, then pulled the phone away to check her inbox. _Hi, Korra. It's Howl. Glad I got to meet you tonight._

She was tempted to reply, but remembered Mako's directions. _"__Don't talk to him until Sunday," _Mako's annoying and arrogant voice rang in her head. Fine. She wouldn't; but that didn't mean she wouldn't bother the hell out of him.

"You still there?" Pema asked as Korra typed in a message to Mako.

"Yeah, one sec," she said. _Got a text from Howl. What should I do oh wise one? _Send. "Sorry, was texting Mako."

"Who's Mako?" her aunt asked.

She heard a shuffle in the background and a beep. "Mako is her allegedly cute boss that drives her crazy."

"Crazy in a good way, or crazy in a bad way?" Pema asked. "And how cute? Ikki, look him up on Facebook."

"Pema!" Korra cried. "He doesn't drive me crazy in either way, he's just kind of arrogant and thinks love is this new style of warfare in which someone has to 'win.' He's alleging if I do what he says I can get back with Tahno if I want which-" the phone beeped, "-is why I'm gonna date this new guy to see if I even want to. Hang on, new text."

_Not bad. _

"Not bad? Asshole," she muttered out loud as she punched in a reply.

"Who's an asshole?" Ikki asked as Korra heard her plucking at keys on the computer. "Oh, dang, Jinora wasn't kidding. This guy is sexy. If you don't want him, I do-"

"Quit cursing, Ikki. Your father will fuss at me if he hears you," Pema said.

"What? Jinora is in on this, too?" Korra whined. _What's it take to impress you?_

"Oh, Korra, forget Tahno and this new guy, go for the boss, he's a dream," Pema squealed as she looked at the computer. "Oh, are those pictures from Hawaii? Oh, God, he surfs. Open that one up. Wow, Korra, just wow. If I was ten years younger and single, _ooh_."

"For Christ's sake, you girls are like horn dogs," the cerulean eyed woman remarked.

Ikki scoffed. "I don't know why you're all pissy, Korra. You're the one with a boss who probably makes panties drop when he-"

"Ew, okay, Ikki, I'm hanging up now."

"Oh, come on, Korra!" Ikki and Pema cried simultaneously as she clicked end.

The woman stretched and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before going to bed. Her phone lit up again. Mako.

_I said it wasn't bad. Meet me for coffee tomorrow at 9:45AM. We need to talk about your date with Howl._

"Huh," she grumbled with the toothbrush in her mouth. Korra shrugged, typing a_ "K" _in the phone, then pressing send before spitting and rinsing her mouth.

She returned to her beside and plugged the phone in to charge, then set her alarm for 7:30 for her morning run. Korra was both anticipating and dreading whatever words of "wisdom" Mako had to share with her now.

* * *

"You're late," Mako observed, leaning against the wall the table was pushed against. He was wearing a red scarf, black shirt, and jeans. He was pinching his lower lip between his thumb and index finger thoughtfully.

"You told me to be fashionably late for a man," she smiled deviously, then took a seat.

"Right," he grumbled. "Phone."

She raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Let me see your texts," he explained.

Her cheeks flushed. God forbid he saw the texts from her sexually frustrated cousins about how hot he was. "Why do you need to-"

"I mean the texts from Howl, I'm not going to snoop through the rest of your phone," Mako clarified.

"Oh," she replied, unlocking the phone and handing it to him. He quickly swiped his finger across the screen to find the messages and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Wow, he likes you," he commented.

She scowled. "I'm not entirely repulsive to the opposite sex, you know."

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant, Howl really thinks you're cute."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, taking the phone to scroll through the texts.

"Guys don't use emoticons unless it's a girl they think is cute. Emoticons are kind of lame," he replied.

"You're lame," she retorted.

Mako made a face. "What was that for? I was just trying to explain something."

"You were being mean about it. I think Howl is sweet," Korra frowned.

"Well, do you want to date him, or do you want Tahno back?"

"I don't know, I haven't decided." Korra stuck her chin up in the air some as she pondered his question.

"Do women ever know what they want?" he sighed some, taking the last sip of his coffee then standing. "Want something?"

"Black coffee, house roast," she replied. He nodded, then walked to the counter. Korra scratched under her chin as she thought of the expression on his face with his last question; there appeared to be a story that went with it.

The table began vibrating and Korra reached across the table to grab it. The caller ID showed Bolin's name. She clicked accept and put the phone to her ear. "Mako's phone."

"Wait, Asami? I didn't know you and Mako were back together," Bolin asked, almost in disbelief.

"Uh, no. This is Korra." she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Who's Asami?"

"Oh, Korra! Hey! You're with Mako?" he sounded surprised.

"Kinda, he's buying coffee. Who's Asami?" she asked again. Mako seemed to make it clear he wasn't dating anyone, so who was Asami?

"Asami Who? I don't know anyone by that name," Bolin laughed awkwardly.

She frowned. "Bolin."

"Look, Korra, it's not my place to tell you; sorry. Bro code," he explained.

"Who are you talking to on my phone?" Mako asked, setting the coffee down and taking the phone from her. "Hello?"

She blew on the coffee, then took a quick sip. Ugh. It tasted burnt and old; next time she would pick the rendezvous point.

"Uh huh. Well, okay, that's fine, Bolin. Listen, I'll call you back," he finally said and hung up. "Answering other people's phones is rude, you know."

Korra shrugged. "It was your brother, I was just gonna say hi since I didn't get his number."

"Right," he said.

"So who's Asami?"

Mako swallowed hard and looked at her darkly. "What?"

"Who's Asami? Bolin thought I was her when I answered the phone and said something about not knowing the two of you got back together. Is she your ex-girlfriend?" Korra thought for a moment. "Wait. Asami Sato? As in, the daughter of Hiroshi Sato; as in the Vice President of Future Industries?"

Mako took another drink from his cup and continued boring a hole into Korra's skull with his eyes. "It was a long time ago. She and I are amicable now, but we're not getting back together. _Ever_."

"Sounds like there's a story," she said in a sing-song voice. "I spilled my guts, you spill yours."

"Sure, if and when it's pertinent to you helping me," he replied. "Until that time, it stays my personal business. Sorry. Now let's go for a walk." He rose to his feet and pulled his coat on and Korra followed him out.

"Men enjoy a chase," Mako explained as they walked down the street. "We live for it, because when we win, we get the prize. We want to feel like we worked for it. A man wants to be challenged, not submitted to."

"Is this the part where you take me shopping because you don't like how I dress like this is some sort of romantic comedy, or something?" Korra asked.

"No, your wardrobe from what I can tell is fine. I'm not going to give you a make over. You have all the equipment, Korra, you just need to read the manual," he replied.

She nudged him with her elbow. "So you think I'm hot?"

"You shouldn't want to be hot, you should want to be beautiful. As a woman, you should want when a man wakes up to think of you and go, 'Damn, if she isn't the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen, I don't know who is.' Don't settle for anything less."

Korra shoved her hands in her pocket. "Just how am I going to achieve that?"

"Remember - no pants on the first few dates, depending on the occasion. I'm not banning pants forever, and it's obviously not practical to wear a dress if you're going ice skating, but if you can help it, don't miss an opportunity to remind him you're a catch. Wear your hair down; it's pretty, he'll want to see it down so he can imagine his fingers going through it. If the conversation bores, lick your lower lip then bite it. He'll get distracted, and you can change the topic to something you like. If he bites his lower lip, he wants to kiss you. Let him think he has you, then turn away at the last moment. Let him know he has to work for every inch of you."

She watched him, looking as his shoulders grew tense.

"Now practice on me," he finally said, moving to stand in front of her.

"Practice on you?" she repeated dumbly.

Mako motioned to the spot beside him. "Pretend I'm talking about something stupid. Use yourself to distract me from what I'm saying and discretely change the topic."

"No way, it won't be genuine," Korra scowled.

"Okay, fair enough. Before your first date, though, you have to."

"We're spending a whole day together?" she clasped her hands together. While her face showed pure excitement, her voice conveyed her true message - complete and utter sarcasm.

"You truly are charming," he muttered.

* * *

Bolin was lounging on Mako's couch while he flipped through channels. "So, you and Korra aren't dating, right?"

"Why do people think that?" Mako groaned to himself then replied, "No, we're not."

"Awesome; so I can ask her out right?" Bolin said, finally settling on an American football game.

"What? Why?" the elder asked, making a face as he flipped his grilled cheese over on the stove.

The green eyed brother shrugged casually. "She's cute, funny as hell, charming... I dunno, I just like her."

Mako rolled his eyes at the thought. "I don't think it's a good idea, Bo," he said, putting the sandwich on a plate, then adding more butter to the pan before placing another on it.

"Why not? She seems normal compared to the other girls I've dated," the younger replied, going to open a beer from the fridge. "And you're not dating her."

"She just got out of a relationship and I don't think she's looking for anything long term."

Bolin scoffed. "The way she was hanging off Howl last night? Yeah right. She's ready to get back on the horse," he replied, taking a sip.

Mako pursed his lips and flipped the sandwich.

"Shut the front door, you're teaching her your nonsense relationship strategy nonsense," Bolin cackled. "I thought you didn't teach women that."

"I never said that," Mako protested.

"No, but you said you were worried a woman would use it on you or me and that's why you didn't," he replied. "So what makes her special?"

He shrugged a bit. "I don't know, she just seemed like she was caught in this shitty loop with the same dude. So I finally was convinced to offer my expertise on the situation."

"You volunteered it," Bolin corrected. "Face it, Mako; you can't help it when it comes to big eyes." The stockier brother laced his fingers under his chin and batted his eyelashes.

Mako scowled. "What? No, it's not like that - just, I'm going to help her see how to get a real man."

"Don't let her break your heart," his brother warned, taking a bite of his sandwich. "She might get so good at your game you become the pawn on the metaphorical chessboard."

He turned off the stove and grabbed a beer of his own. "That metaphor makes no sense, but disregarding that even, I'm still the king."

"Too bad the queen's the better piece," Bolin said to himself, concealing a bemused smirk.

* * *

"Yes!" Korra cheered, pumping a fist in the office as she read her text message.

Mako looked up from the books he was reviewing with the head of payables, and then shook his head at Korra before looking down and returning to his conversation.

Jia waved her over. "What happened?"

"I got a date," she said in a sing-song voice.

"With who? Is it that cute guy that's a friend of TDS?" the black haired girl asked.

TDS had become most of the office's nickname for Mako: tall, dark, and stoic. Korra felt like the entire nickname was a little middle school, but she supposed it was better than parading through the office and dropping his name casually - especially when the rumors about Mako and the heiress to Future Industries leaked. Thankfully, she hadn't been the source, but she found herself wondering exactly what had happened.

"His name is Howl," Korra explained. "It's a nickname, apparently. I didn't really ask. But he's cute, funny, charming, and we're going out for dinner on Thursday."

"Thursday? What? If he's everything you say he is, I would have schedule it for today."

The cerulean eyed woman glanced at her boss who gave her a polite smile before returning his focus to the numbers, then looked at her co-worker. "I want to, but I want him to be crazy with anticipation for our date."

"Huh, and what has spurred this new outlook on dating?" Jia asked.

Korra shrugged. "Love's like warfare - it's all about strategy."

"I hope this is business talk," Mako said, leaning against the rounded desk.

Korra and Jia exchanged smiles before the darker skinned woman looked at him and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "Of course, Mako. We're true professionals."

"Excellent," he replied. "Come talk to me for a moment. I need your help with scheduling a flight for the holidays."

The young woman followed him to his office and he sat down in his chair. She placed a palm on the desk and another on the back of his chair, leaning over to read the monitor. "Back to Hawaii, huh? I've always wanted to go."

"You should. The water is beautiful," Mako replied. He could feel her hair tickling his skin and smell her perfume - sweet and faint, yet welcoming. Completely unlike her.

"I bet," she replied. "So what can I do ya for, boss?"

"I beg your pardon?" he snapped out of his trance.

Korra motioned to the computer. "What do you need?"

"Oh, yes. Order the tickets for myself and my brother. I'll give you my account information in a moment, then I need you to send out a memo to the department about an in-house meeting. And I need you to get someone to run the numbers on the charity gala we're having at the end of the month. After that-"

The young woman nodded, licking her lower lip. When he stopped talking she smiled and said, "Continue."

Mako swallowed and looked up to continue his train of thought. "Oh, yeah, after that, I need you to track down the financial documents from the second quarter of last year and - what are you doing?" he asked as she reached her hand toward his shoulder.

"You had some lint on your jacket, that's all," she showed the small piece of fuzz in her hand before flicking it away. "So, listen, do you think I should wear a dress or a pants on my date with Howl?"

He rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you - no pants!"

"Thank you, Mako, for making that so easy, and proving I'm more than capable at playing your game," she smiled then leaned up. "I'll get the financial statement from the second quarter to you before lunch. We're ordering Thai, by the way. Let me know if you want to chip in and order something in the next bit."

He watched as his assistant walked out of the office, his jaw dropped. _Did I tell you, or did I tell you? Be careful not to get tangled in your own web, bro, _Bolin's voice taunted in his head.

"Well, fuck," Mako groaned to himself.

* * *

_Posted: 07/12/2012_

**A/N: **askdjaksjda omg you guys are awesome! This is the biggest response I've ever gotten to just one chapter of a fic haha! I see you guys are thirsty for some PWP fics when it comes to Makorra! To answer a few questions that were brought up, Jinora is Korra's **cousin**. Niece was an epic fail typo on my part (sorry!). The better I seem to get at other languages, the worse I get at English. :( boo. I updated it with a revised copy to avoid any further confusion.

**iRockYourSocks: **Actually, The Ugly Truth is pretty similar to Seducing Mr. Perfect, but Gerard's a little bit more of an up front asshole than Daniel Henney was in the movie (Daniel was more cold/distant) - at least to my recollection. Like I said, it's been quite a while. I would say I'm pretty good at reading people/people's relationships but I'm a hot mess when it comes to my own. ;) But isn't that how we all are, lol!

**soraaa: **Mako definitely is more forward, but I found him to be a little blunt with her when they first met at the pro-bending arena, scoffing at the idea of Bolin bringing ~*yet*~ another fangirl to the arena. In my mind/head-canon, Mako is the kind of guy who's up front when it comes to work/professional matters, but a little more withdrawn otherwise. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or anything pertaining to it.

* * *

**The Art of Dating**

Chapter 3: Weaknesses and Strengths

* * *

"Done, and done!" Korra smiled triumphantly as she slapped a folder down on Mako's desk. "Am I the greatest assistant or what?"

He picked up the folder and thumbed through it, chewing the corner of his lower lip thoughtfully. "Nice work."

The darker skinned woman stuck her index finger in her ear and pretended to clean it out. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. I think I had something in my ear."

"Oh, ha ha," he said dryly. "Just take the compliment."

"With great relish," she smirked as she fastened the buckle on her jacket. "So do you need anything else, 'cause I'm about to head out."

The amber eyed man yawned into his fist, squinting his eyes as he racked his brain. "No, I think I'm all set. Where are you off all in a rush?"

"Date with Howl, remember? And I'm going to wear this blue dress - you would be so proud," Korra put her hands on her hips, twirling in a circle once. "I'll text you the juicy details."

"Uh huh," Mako replied. "Have fun, kids. Use a condom."

She scoffed. "No, I already decided I'm not having sex. Can't change the rules in the middle of the inning, or whatever."

"Close enough," he replied. "And I'm glad to see you're taking all this advice to heart. Though surprised - you seemed a little reluctant to."

"The way I was doing it wasn't working, so I'm open to trying new things. I always like to try new things," Korra winked at him as she pulled her gloves on and slung her bag over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep," he replied, giving a small wave.

When her retreating figure finally disappeared from his vision, he looked at the Excel spreadsheet in front of his face. _Direct Materials Purchases for End of the Second Quarter, 2011... Manufacturing Overhead... Projected Sales for..._ ugh, forget it. It was all just a jumble of numbers running together at this point. He decided to print out the latest earnings report for his portfolio, then pack up and head home. Mako suspected Bolin had Chinese takeout and an XBox match waiting for him at home.

He clicked print and typed in his authorization code, then collected his belongings and pulled on his coat. Mako turned his computer off, then flicked off the lights and shut the door to lock it. As soon as he stuck the key in the lock a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Really, Korra, you're going to be late for your date," he sighed at her childish games and turned the key before putting the keyring in his pocket.

"It's not Korra," the voice taunted.

Mako turned around. "Oh, Jia, you're still here?" he asked, a bit surprised. "Well, uh, everyone else is about gone, so you should go, too."

"Why did you think it was Korra?"

"Because-" he gave a small sigh and raised his palms upwards in a shrug. "I don't know, Korra's Korra. She has a goofy sense of humor, I guess."

"Hm, she does! Anyway, I was just gonna say, some of us are going to karaoke tonight and you should come! The drinks are buy one, get one half off," Jia smiled.

Mako pursed his lips. "I don't think it's a good idea. I have a lot of stuff to review, and it's a Thursday, and-" _I'm in a horrible mood because Korra's off having the time of her life with _Howl_ and I'm stuck at home with left over mushu pork and yet another round of Black Ops. _"I need to, um, make a call early tomorrow morning to our branch in Beijing. I can't stay out late."

"Oh, okay," Jia replied. "Well, have a good night, then, Mr. Mako. Goodnight."

The young director sighed in relief as she scampered off, and decided to just reprint and collect the earnings report later to avoid another awkward intervention. Since when was he lying about shit like that?

He walked outside and made his way to the subway, jumping a bit as he felt his iPhone vibrating against his leg from his pants pocket. He reached a hand inside and checked it. _Korra__. _Mako pulled it out and pulled his glove off, holding it in between his teeth as he punched in the passcode. _So far success. Howl has told me how great I look at least three times. _

"I would have told you at least nine," he muttered to himself as he typed in a reply. He felt a small shiver travel down his spine as a gust of wind barreled through the streets.

_You shouldn't be texting on a date._ Send.

_Don't kiss him either. Just a hug. It reinforces your strength as the dominant one in the relationship - the one who calls all the shots. _Mako sent shortly after.

What the hell was he doing?

* * *

Korra dabbed at her mouth lightly with the napkin on her lap as Howl sat across from her, dipping the chunk of crab meat in the small container of melted butter.

"Want some more?" He held up the piece of meat at her in offering.

She held her hand up. "I'm good, thanks."

"Don't like crab legs?" Howl asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Actually, I don't like butter," she laughed. "The smell makes me sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I feel like such an idiot-"

She reached over and put her hand over his. "Don't. How were you supposed to know?"

"I could have asked," he said.

The woman laughed at him. "Howl, please. It's a first date, we're not supposed to send an entire list of allergies, likes, and dislikes. Besides, my salad with grilled shrimped was perfect."

Perfectly mediocre. What was it with Mako and his friends having bad taste in restaurants and cafés? She decided next time she'd make the decision on where to go - somewhere that offered a nice, juicy steak with a huge serving of fries and endless amounts of bread.

"How is everything?" the waiter asked, going to refill Korra's glass of water.

"Great, thanks," she replied, then looked at Howl when the waiter retreated. "So, uh, do you want to split a dessert?"

"Yeah, sure!" he smiled at her. "Whatever you like."

The blue eyed woman smiled back at her date and nodded. He was wearing the same Brazil jacket she had seen him in when she met him the first time, but he was sweet, friendly, and charming in his own right. So far, they had talked about everything starting from how they both knew Mako to Korra's interest in going back to school to study Chinese to how Howl got the nickname 'Howl.' It was weird being on a date with someone who wasn't Tahno after so many years, and she tried to remember how she felt when they first started dating.

"So what do you want to get?" Howl asked, finishing his beer.

Korra tapped her chin with her finger before replying, "How about I get some cheesecake and you get the sorbet to split?"

"Perfect," he smiled at her.

She nodded at him, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. Usually Tahno vehemently objected to sharing any food; it was a nice change of pace to find someone who wanted to split desserts.

* * *

The young executive was sitting at his desk, reading a brief when Korra crept in the doorway. Mako seemed oblivious to her presence and furrowed his brow as his eyes scanned the paper. His thumb and index finger moved to his lower lip and began pinching it thoughtfully.

"And now we observe the rare species Mako in his natural habitat," she said in a poor imitation of an Australian accent. "Down in the Outback, we don't see many creatures like him. Right now, he's contemplating his place in the universe as he stares at that folder of numbers, most likely brought on by his introverted nature. Let's sneak in for a closer look."

Mako snorted at her, and turned to his computer. "Something you need, Korra?"

"Trying to see if you were brain dead. You've been staring at that same file for at least ten minutes. I'd bet you've been reading the same sentence over and over, too. It's Friday, it's after seven PM, ergo we're leaving."

"We?"

"Don't you want to give me some sort of infinite wisdom on dating?" she taunted.

He scoffed. _Not particularly. _"We can talk about it tomorrow or something."

"C'mon, we're going salsa dancing. It's Friday, we had a good week, and they have awesome margaritas at this club, and you need tequila like a fish needs water," she reached over him to grab the mouse and save his work before shutting off the power.

"Don't they call that alcoholism?" he scowled, trying to reconquer the mouse. "And I don't dance."

Korra flicked him in the forehead. "As your assistant, I'm supposed to look out for your well-being. Your being looks pretty unwell. You're too uptight, Mako. You need to loosen up, have some fun. Get sleazy."

"You did not just quote some a bad pop song," Mako said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Did," she smiled and hooked her arm through his elbow to pull him to his feet. "What are you afraid of - having fun?"

He finally relented and began pulling his jacket on. "Yes, Korra, I hate fun, didn't you know?" he replied dryly.

"Grr, I am the iceman! I have no fun or human emotions, I only work and tell people how to win at dating," Korra deepened her voice and moved her arms up-and-down in a poor rendition of robot dance moves.

"It's hard to believe you're nearly twenty-nine," he said and walked out of the office with Korra at his heels.

"It's hard to believe you're not seventy-four; my grandmother has a better sense of humor," she teased. "Just lighten up. C'mon, Bolin'll be there."

Mako scratched his jaw in the elevator. "How do you know he's going to be there?"

"He called the office and invited me and told me to make sure you came."

Mako groaned, and Korra nudged him in the ribs gently. "Don't be a sourpuss. The way I see it, you keep Bolin on the path of responsibility or something, and Bolin keeps you from stroking out at age thirty-five from stress," Korra yanked on his scarf. "Just humor us and at least pretend to have a good time. I'll even buy you a drink."

"Are you usually this forward with men?"

"Naturally," she grinned. "It's part of my charm."

"Well, either way, I'm not going," he replied.

* * *

"Bro!" Bolin smiled, going to embrace Mako widely. "You came!"

The blue eyed woman winked. "What can I say? I'm irresistible."

"Ha," Mako sneered.

"Hey, pretty lady," Howl said, putting his arms around Korra's waist and kissing her cheek. "I see you dragged ol' Ironsides out of his cocoon."

Mako cleared his throat and sat down in the chair to the right of his brother. He had removed his tie and put it in his briefcase on the way over per Korra's insistence.

A young woman came up to the table with a tray resting on her hip. "Drinks anyone?"

"Yes. Margaritas all around, and a shot of tequila for this one," Korra insisted, putting her hands on Mako's shoulder.

He shrugged away from her as he peeled off his jackets and folded it neatly over the chair. "No tequila."

"You're taking one. Scratch that, we're all taking one. C'mon, you'll have fun," she said.

Mako rolled his eyes, then proceeded to unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves up. "Yeah, yeah, we'll see."

"Okay, well, you stay here and babysit my stuff," she teased. "I'm going to get a dance in before the drinks come." Korra removed her jacket and placed it over his own, then took Howl's hand to lead him to the floor.

"So, how's Korra?" Bolin asked slyly.

"Wouldn't know," Mako said, raising his voice over the music. "You should probably ask Howl. Or you could ask her yourself since you're in the process of calling my office to set up social events for me."

The green eyed man clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Mako, I just get worried about you. If you're not working, you're either exercising, or eating, or sleeping. You used to love going dancing with Asami, even if-"

"-we're not having this conversation here," he cut in. "Let's talk about something else."

"Okay, okay, sorry," Bolin apologized. "I know it's a sensitive topic."

Mako gave a small smile of reassurance to his brother. "So how was work today?"

"Good, good. The ladies love it when Captain Bo is in the house to lay out the work out," he winked. "Speaking of work outs, check out Korra. She looks like a champ out there."

He turned over, putting his arm around the chair to look at his assistant. She was swaying her hips to the music skillfully and Howl was twirling her around, and as much as he hated to admit it, his best friend was beyond smitten with his assistant.

Wait. Hated to admit it?

"What am I doing?" he groaned, turning around quickly.

"You're sitting," Bolin scratched his cheek, a bit confused. "Is there something you should be doing?"

"No, I was just thinking about something," he recovered.

"Oh, Makoooo," Korra said after coming back from the dance floor. "There's a cute girl over there who is making eyes at you. I think you should," she walked her index and middle finger along the arm of his chair, "go and have a nice chat."

"Mako doesn't approach women," Howl informed her. "He wants her to come to him, I think."

She made a face and said, "But according to his rule-"

"-let's go check on the drinks," Mako cut in quickly, grabbing her arm and jerking her towards the bar.

"Woah, what's your major malfunction?" Korra snapped, tearing from his grip.

He rolled his eyes a bit and rested his arm on the bar top, pushing some of his weight forward. "You don't just go blabbing and tell the guy you're toying with you're actually using a dating strategy with him."

"I wasn't going to," she protested.

Mako raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'Oh, really now?'

"I didn't realize I was about to," she corrected. "I'm sorry."

"So tell me about your date. I was expecting you to call or text after it and let me know about it," he said, standing upright and folding his arms.

She smiled brightly. "It was great. I mean, we went to a seafood place which is okay, but not my favorite. We split dessert, which I've always wanted to do, and then we just walked for a bit."

"And then?"

"No sex," she told him.

"Good girl," he gave her a small smile.

The waitress came up to them with the tray balanced on her forearm. "I've got the drinks for your party if you want to follow me back," she offered.

"Oh, sure," Korra said. "Let me carry something to help you."

His assistant reached forward after the waitress set the tray on the bar top and grabbed two margaritas. The pair followed the waitress back to the table where Bolin and Howl were chattering away pleasantly.

"Is that for me?" Howl teased, reaching forward and taking the margarita from her hand. "Thanks."

"And here's the salt for the shots," the waitress said, putting a shaker on the table. "Do you guys want me to start you a tab?"

"Yeah, please," Korra said, going to dig in her purse for her wallet.

"I've got it," Mako replied, pulling his wallet out and handing his card to the young woman and two dollars. "Come back and check on us in a little bit, yeah?"

"Will do," she smiled, pocketing it and walking off.

Bolin removed the lime wedge from the rim of his shot and licked the base of his thumb. "So it's salt-shot-lime."

"No, I'm pretty sure it's lime-shot-salt."

"Bolin's right. Salt-shot-lime," Mako and Korra both said simultaneously.

The woman sat on the arm of Howl's chair and repeated Bolin's actions. "Lick it, slam it, suck it - or that's how I learned it anyway," she shrugged before sprinkling some salt on her hand. "Everyone ready?"

Mako closed his eyes for a moment.

"Mako?" Howl asked.

"Yeah, ready," he replied, his voice cracking as he took the lime wedge in his left hand.

"One, two, three," Korra counted. "Go!"

* * *

His assistant leaned forward, putting her hand on his knee and laughing into her fist.

"See, you can't even do it," Mako laughed at her. "You can't honestly keep a straight face for more than two seconds."

She shook her head, wiping under her eyes. "I can't, I can't," she gasped for air.

"Korra, don't die," he snickered.

Howl had already left since he had to work early the next morning and Bolin was currently flirting with the sassy bartender. The director of finances was attempting to have a staring contest with his assistant and the score was currently six-to-one, Mako.

"Okay, okay," she waved her hand in front of her face. "I'm serious."

He inhaled deeply, then looked at her, arching his brows alternately before she started cracking up again.

"Mako, stop," she said, pressing her forehead to his knee.

"Okay, sorry, I'm done," he held up his hands. "I think I win."

She waved her hand at him. "Win, schmin."

"You and your words, Korra," he said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of water.

"Let's go dance," she suggested.

He wagged his index finger at her. "No, ma'am. I don't dance."

"Oh, come on, it has to be a rule somewhere you have to dance. What kind of macho love guru can you be if you can't dance?" she scoffed.

"I didn't say 'I can't,' I said 'I don't,'" he corrected, checking his watch. It was after midnight - had he really spent that much time there? "Besides, didn't you want me to impart some great wisdom?"

"I'll let you give me wisdom if you dance with me," she offered.

Mako shook his head. "No deal. I'm the one doing all the work."

"I'll do whatever you want for one dance, please. I love dancing," she pleaded.

He sighed. "One dance, and you have to answer whatever three questions I ask."

"Whatever questions, huh? Good thing I'm not shy," she smiled, grabbing his hand and jerking him to his feet.

Mako instantly regretted the decision. He hadn't danced since he and Asami had broken up, and he always felt like a complete amateur with the girl who had private lessons in pretty much every imaginable thing since birth.

When Korra finally found a spot she was satisfied with, she turned and put her hand on his shoulder, resting her arm on his bicep. He held onto her hand loosely and barely put his hand on her side.

"Okay, Mako, I'm not contagious," she growled and brought his hand more firmly to her side.

He flushed, thankful for the darkness, and pulled her a bit closer.

"Whenever you're ready," she teased, waiting to follow his lead.

"You talk too much, Korra," he remarked, finally going to move forward. His movements were a bit rusty and conservative as he tried to match the rhythm of the music. Her movements, on the other hand, were completely natural and she seemed to fit the tempo perfectly.

"Where'd you learn to dance - the robotics academy?" she asked dryly.

Mako sped up his pace, his body starting to learn and remember the steps. He lifted his arm and dropped her hand, twirling her and spinning a few times. It had been so long since he last danced, and it was so much more exhilarating than he had remembered. Was it always this way?

"Where'd you learn to dance - the amateur academy?" he retorted.

She laughed as she crashed back into him, returning her hand to his shoulder. "That might be the sassiest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Must be the tequila," he replied.

"I like it," she said, locking her blue eyes with his for a moment, then stepping back when the music concluded. "So hit me with your best shot."

"Huh?" Mako asked, making his way with her back to their things.

"Your questions."

"I'm going to save the other two, but the first - what's your weakness?" he replied, going to pull his coat on and walking to the bar.

Korra grabbed her things and followed him. "My weakness?"

"With a man, what's your weakness? What kind of guy can you not help falling for?"

"Oh," she said, leaning against the bartop. "Um. Hm."

"That many?" he joked, asking the bartender to clear out his tab.

"No, I just had to think how to articulate it."

"Okay," Mako said, signing the receipt when the bartender brought it and returning his credit card to his wallet. "Hey, Bo," he called.

Bolin looked at him, giving a wave. "What's up?"

"I'm headed home. Don't stay out too late," he warned.

"I'm right behind you," he smiled and waved. "Bye, Korra! Call me tomorrow! Let's go ice skating!"

"Okay," she shouted back, waving at him and following Mako out.

"You didn't have to leave," he said as he noticed her at his side.

"Bolin seems a bit preoccupied, and who else is going to walk me home?" she teased.

Mako snorted and went to hail a cab. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"My weakness is a man who challenges me. A guy who will be gentle and sweet, but stand up to me and treat me as his equal. I need someone to stand up to me when I'm being unreasonable," she said after a moment.

Mako held the door open for her and slid in the cab after her, giving Korra's address to the driver.

She looked at him. "Tahno wasn't it. I really can't describe what we were. I don't know about Howl, but I hope he's that guy."

Howl. Right. His best friend. His best friend dating Korra. Why did the idea bother him so much?

"Why'd you ask what my weakness is?" Korra asked, interrupting his train of thought.

"No reason," he replied. "I just wanted to know. When's your next date with Howl?"

"Sunday," she answered. "He has to work Saturday and Monday you and I have that day trip for a conference."

He couldn't believe he had forgotten about that.

"Why do you ask?"

Mako slouched some in his seat, folding his arms. "The second date is more important than the first. You have to maintain the same expectations. Don't have sex with him until after you've been dating for at least a month."

Now he was telling his assistant - _his _freaking assistant - when it was acceptable to bed _his _best friend.

"He needs to work for it and it needs to be on my terms," she replied.

"You're catching on," Mako raised his eyebrows and tapped his mouth with his finger. "Don't cheat either."

She mocked offense and placed a hand at her chest. "But Mako, I would never-"

"Yeah, yeah," he said as the cab rolled to a stop outside her apartment.

"Well, this is me," she told him.

Mako slid out after opening the door to let her out. Korra followed him out, moving her fingers to her lips to chew on her nail and hide her smile of amusement.

"What's so funny?" he inquired, searching her eyes. They were such a beautiful color of blue - no, teal - he felt like he could get lost swimming in them if he wanted to.

"I could have gotten out on the other side," Korra said, giving him a quick hug, her warmth comforting him against the cold air. "I like the Mako I got to meet tonight. He should come out more often."

He blushed a bit, not processing the embrace until she had pulled away and darted up the stairs.

"Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Korra," he said faintly before returning to the cab.

* * *

When Bolin got home that night, Mako was sitting on the terrace with a beer.

"Everything okay, Mako?"

"She told me she liked the side of me she got to see tonight," he told his brother absently.

Bolin sat down in the chair beside him and looked at the sky with him. "Is everything okay-"

"I got caught in my own web," he finished. "You were right."

"She's a great girl, anyone would feel that way. You have to tell her how you feel."

Mako shook his head. "You can't tell Korra how I feel, ever."

"But Mako-"

"Bolin, promise me. She's with Howl, and I'm not going to ruin that."

"I promise. But you're an idiot if you don't do anything about it either," he said. "You deserve a happy ending, too."

Mako nodded, closing his eyes. "I know."

But so did Korra.

* * *

_Posted: 07/15/2012_

**A/N: **right in the feels. aksdjkajda is anyone as excited as I am for the new season! cop!Mako sounds like a definite yes please, and I just love all the new clothes - sassy!Mako included! It's going to be fabulous!

haha a lot of comments say they hope I do this story right - I hope I do it right, too. If anything seems out of place, let me know. This is more of my, 'Helping me get rid of plot bunnies so I can work on my other projects' fic. yikes. :x unfortunately, with the new info from SDCC I can't help but have even _MORE _plot bunnies! As for Pema, I think she would have this kind of secret humor that we didn't get to see much of and I see her as a cool mom/aunt type figure. C'mon, you know that woman would be at the premiere of _Magic Mike_. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or anything pertaining to it.

* * *

**The Art of Dating**

Chapter 4: Variations and Adaptability

* * *

"So you and Mr. Mako are getting pretty close," Jia commented to Korra at their lunch break.

"We're a good team," Korra shrugged. "He's the brains and I'm the brawn."

The receptionist raised her eyebrows. "Hm. Well, you know there are rumors," she said in a sing-song voice.

Korra made a face at Jia and took a large bite of her sandwich. "What kind of rumors?"

"_Those _kind of rumors," she replied, making a suggestive gesture with her finger and fist. _  
_

"Ugh, no, not even!" the brunette replied defensively. "I'm dating Howl, remember?"

Jia put her hands up innocently. "I'm just saying you guys spend a lot of time together - in and out of the office. I mean, he's been working here for a month and you guys are joined at the hip."

"Okay first of all, I was joined at the hip of that guy Tarrlok before he left so this is just because Mako is hot-"

"Oh, so you do agree he's hot?" Jia smirked.

The personal assistant waved her hand at her. "Secondly, I like Mako, he's a good friend We're friends, and he's my boss. That's all there is to it."

"Okay, okay, got it. I'm sorry. I just had to know," Jia admitted. "Truth be told, I was hoping you were because he looks fabulous in the sack and I wanted to live vicariously through you."

"Jia, you're insatiable," her friend scoffed, popping a potato chip in her mouth.

The receptionist placed a hand over her chest and raised her chin, "I am a woman with carnal needs. I can't help it, and not all of us are have those needs met by a lover."

"Hmph," Korra snorted. "Join the club."

"Wait, you mean you and Howl haven't-?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "It just hasn't felt right."

"In my experience, if you've been dating a guy for more than a month and you don't want to sleep with him, you need to move on. Specifically, to your tall, dark, and sexy as hell boss," Jia replied.

"It's not like that, I just want Howl to work for it." Korra explained, getting up and going to throw away her trash. She rinsed out her tupperware and flicked her wrists to shake off the excess water before wiping them on her pants to dry them. "C'mon, let's go back to work now."

"You're hiding something," her friend said decisively.

The cerulean eyed woman shook her head again. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are. So spill."

Korra sighed reluctantly and looked at Jia, "Well, the thing is he's a little clingy."

"What? Like a Stage Five clinger?"

"No, no, like a, 'I'm going to call you at an ungodly hour to tell you I got home from a trip and every single time I get home from work.' I mean, it's cute. But can't he just text me or something? I hate being woken up in the middle of the night. And he makes me tell him when I get home, too. I don't know - it just bugs me I guess. I like that he cares but it's like he's obsessive about it," she said.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

Korra shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Then quit your fussing and talk to him about it already. People aren't mind readers, Korra."

"No, they're not," she admitted.

Except for Mako; no matter what, he always seemed to be able to read her mind.

* * *

"Maybe I should have driven," Mako complained as Korra shifted gears in her car.

"Aw, c'mon, you always drive to these trips. Let Mama behind the wheel," she teased, turning up the music on the radio. A catchy eletro-pop song filled the car and Korra proceeded to bob her head along to the music and sing at the top of her lungs.

He made a face and reached over to turn the music down. "Can we not blow our eardrums out before we get to the conference meeting?"

"Ooh, we're sensitive today. What's up with you, City Boy?" she asked, looking at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the road.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Country Girl, it's just been a long week," he said.

"It's Tuesday," she made a face.

"See what I mean?" Mako replied, going to check his iPhone.

Korra took a sip of her coffee before turning the music back up. "Lighten up, Mako."

"You know, statistically, more people get into wrecks listening to fast music like that. You should listen to something more soothing, like jazz," he said.

She smiled at him slyly before changing the station to a hip hop station. "Like this?"

"Do you intentionally ignore what I say, or is it just benign neglect?" he rolled his eyes, beginning to reply to an email.

"C'mon, Mako. YOLO."

"Did you just say, 'YOLO' with a straight face or am I hallucinating?"

"Don't hate," Korra reached over with her right hand and pinched his cheek endearingly. He slapped her hand away playfully and scowled a bit before returning his attention to the email.

"So serious," she teased. "What happened to the old Mako?"

"This is the old Mako," he said.

"I mean the one I got to meet one day at the salsa club. Do we need to go salsa dancing again? I'd love to see those hips in action," she ran her hand over and walked her fingers over his stomach - his perfectly toned stomach complete with a six pack (which Pema affectionately called a 'sex pack' after seeing photos of him in Hawaii).

"You couldn't handle my hips in action," he told her matter-of-factly.

Korra cupped her mouth with her hands, giggling.

"Hands on the wheel!"

"Sorry; I just love it when you get defensive about your sex life," she said, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Hmph," Mako scoffed. _What sex life?_

The blue eyed woman drummed her finger on the steering wheel as she got off the exit. Her low fuel light just came on. "So I think I'm going to sleep with Howl."

"It's your business," he replied, trying to control his expression. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; completely neutral. But then why did he want to throw up?

"Mako, c'mon. You're like my go-to man. I can't do it without your blessing. I need to know it's okay. Like, in the sense of, I need to know it's been long enough."

The amber eyed man inhaled sharply. "I think you should do what feels right."

"What if it doesn't feel right?" she asked, her voice trembling some as she pulled into a gas station.

Was she insecure about the relationship? She had never let on before that. Any other time he had talked to her, she seemed to invest so much faith in the relationship. And Howl, _oh_, Howl - that man was a hop, skip, and a jump away from ring shopping. He was completely, one hundred and eight-nine percent enamored with the enchanting young woman.

Mako looked at her and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Follow your heart, Korra. It won't lead you astray."

She smiled at him and pulled him in for an embrace. "You're a better friend than anyone gives you credit for - myself included. Don't let anyone, especially me, sell you short." After a moment, Korra leaned back and flicked him on the forehead. "Want some beef jerky from the convenience store?"

"No, but I'll take a pack of cigarettes."

"Since when do you smoke?"

He shrugged. "It's a stress thing."

"What's got you stressed?"

Mako shoved his hands in his pocket. "Work and stuff." _Mostly the 'and stuff.'_

"Alright, alright, but when you die, I'm going to fuss at your funeral about how you shouldn't do that," she wagged a finger in his face disapprovingly.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he chuckled a bit, handing her a crisp bill from his wallet.

* * *

"So how's Korra?" Bolin asked Mako at dinner.

"Fine. Good. Great. Korra is Korra," his brother replied faintly, dunking his dumpling in potsticker sauce before popping it in his mouth.

"And that means?" Bolin said before slurping up some noodles.

Mako shrugged and took a bite of beef before returning his attention to the rice. "You know how she is."

"Optimistic? Cheerful? Sassy?" Bolin listed.

"Yep, yep, and yep," Mako replied to each of those.

"Confident? Direct?"

"Yes again."

"Beautiful?" the green eyed brother asked, smiling innocently.

"Ye-" Mako gave Bolin a heated glare, then stood up to take his empty plate to the kitchen. "We're just friends."

"You're just _her _friend; she's the girl _you _want to date, and you don't want to admit it to anyone," Bolin pressed. "You need to tell her."

Mako snorted. "To have her just leave me like Asami did? No, forget it."

The younger brother gave Mako a disappointed look and folded his arms. "Asami didn't just 'leave' you, and you know that. And if she really didn't care about you, she wouldn't have put in the good word with Hiroshi Sato to get you your job at Future Industries."

"This conversation is over," the amber eyed man said, stalking to his room and closing the door behind him.

"Mako, I'm just trying to help," he frowned.

"I don't need anyone's help."

Bolin didn't accept that as an answer, following his brother into the bedroom. "You seem upset or something?"

"Nothing happened," Mako said, hanging his tie up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bolin put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Mako, bro, this isn't you. You're in more knots than you ever were with Asami. What happened? Did she tell you she slept with Howl or something?"

The taller brother closed his eyes, his jaw locked. "She slept with Howl?" _Already? Hadn't she just asked for permission - in a sense - earlier that afternoon?_

"I don't know, but I can't figure you out. You looked guilty or something. Were you guilty for getting the two of them together before you realized how you felt?"

"Just leave it alone," he pleaded.

"Mako, I can't fix it if you don't tell me," Bolin sighed, going to fold his arms.

"I don't want anyone to fix it," he looked at his brother. "Just let it alone, okay? Please."

Bolin sighed again and went to leave the bedroom. "I love you, Mako, I really do - but sometimes you're a real knucklehead when it comes to women."

* * *

"Korra," Howl breathed as she answered the door to her apartment. "You look great."

The young woman was wearing an indigo dress with her hair down from its typical ponytail. Her choppy layers framed her face elegantly and she gave a small twirl to reveal the back had been cut out entirely and showed her dark skin. He held his hand out and clasped her fingers in his own, giving them a small squeeze.

"I love it," he smiled, leaning in to capture her lips in a swift kiss.

It wasn't that Howl's kisses were bad - they were significantly more stirring than Tahno's stiff ones - but they were a bit sloppy. She always found herself dabbing her lips with her fingers when he turned away to clean her mouth up a bit.

"Let's get going," she said, going to wrap the silver shawl around her shoulders. "I'm already late and Mako needs me there."

"Right, Mako," Howl nodded, going to lead her to his car.

It was finally the charity ball Mako had been stressing over for the past few months with respects to budgeting. One of the late Mrs. Kasumi Sato's greatest philanthropic projects was to women escaping a life of prostitution in the city. After she passed away, Asami - a feminist in her own right - took up the mantle and began hosting the charity event in her mother's name. To be honest, it was an event Korra looked forward to the most in the year - aside from Christmas holidays.

"You really do look great," he reminded her.

"Thanks, sweetheart. You, too," she smiled at him, then looked at the phone in her hands anxiously.

She wondered what Mako would think of her dress. Jinora had suggested it after Ikki and Pema shot down the idea of the simple grey sleeveless dress and the spaghetti strap black one. Too plain; she didn't need to be plain - if Mako had taught her anything, it was that she _wasn't_ plain. He was a little egotistical, but he definitely reminded her to be confident in herself every once in a while.

_Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous. I shouldn't be nervous because I'm not nervous. What is being nervous? How should I know - 'cause I'm not!_

Now she was having a conversation with herself _and _in denial. First thing she planned on doing when she got to the charity event was hit the open bar and get a very dirty martini loaded with olives, like, at least five olives or something.

"You okay?" Howl asked at a red light.

"Hm? What, sweetheart?" she asked, looking at him in a bit of a daze.

"You're squeezing the life out of my hand," he chuckled. Korra immediately released his hand and folded them in her lap.

"My bad."

He shook his head a bit, still smiling. "It's okay. You must be nervous."

"Uh," she cleared her throat. _I'm not. I'm absolutely NOT nervous. _"Kind of."

"It must be because you organized the catering. Mako said you were going berserk over making sure it was perfect," he smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure everything will be perfect - just like you are."

Right. The catering.

Korra wanted Bolin to give her a pep talk to encourage her to swallow her nerves and push on through - that everything would be fine. She wanted Mako to be there to tell her she had nothing to be nervous about because she was amazing. She wanted Ikki, Pema, and Jinora to call her and say she was loonier than usual and to pull herself together for her "hot, sexy boss."

Pssh. Hot, sexy boss.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the car finally came to a halt and her car door opened. A rush of cold wind hit her in the face and she turned to see a young man, probably no older than nineteen, staring at her and holding his hand out politely.

"Ma'am," he nodded at her and assisted her out of the car, then stepped aside.

Korra felt the small bumps on her arms form as the wind blew by again and hoped she had used enough hairspra- oh,_ darn it_! She forgot to use hairspray.

Howl handed the keys over to the young valet then came to her side and linked his arm with hers. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she smiled and followed him indoors.

The entire banquet area was filled with tables and guests, hopefully with pockets lined to donate money. The ceilings were impossibly high and impressive crystal chandeliers hung down, creating a shimmery and warm yellow glow to the room. Everything was either silver or blue in color, and a few stunning ice sculptures decorated the room.

Of course, all of the carefully selected decór was nothing compared to the immaculate brunette standing near the entrance of the ballroom. Asami Sato was wearing a satin, strapless red dress with her hair curled around her body. She made every bombshell from the 60's look like an amateur, and Korra suddenly felt a little inadequate in comparison to the philanthropist.

"If it isn't my favorite Canadian!" a familiar voice cried. Bolin wrapped his arms tightly around Korra, scooping her up and giving a small spin.

"Bolin! I didn't know you were coming," she smiled at him when he set her down.

"Ah, you know me. Always ol' Ironsides's plus one," he teased. "I clean up pretty good though, right?" He was wearing a tuxedo with a green tie and gave her a suave look.

"Mm, you look okay," she said, tapping her chin.

"Whatever, girl, I make James Bond look busted," he tapped her forehead lightly with his finger. "Hey, Howl; how's it hangin'? I haven't seen you around too much lately." Bolin turned his attention to Korra's date and gave him a hearty handshake.

So if Bolin was Mako's 'plus one,' where was Mako himself? She wondered if he was remaining recluse due to Asami's presence. If anything, he was here more of as a formality since they had the same employer, but Korra didn't see Mako as the kind of guy to socialize with his ex liberally after a break up. At least, not after his cold reaction to her previous inquisitions about him.

"So you must be Korra."

Korra turned to see the dark haired woman with sparkling emerald eyes looking at her. She had her hand extended and Korra took it in her own, giving a firm shake. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Sato."

"Please, call me Asami. We worked and collaborated so much on the entire charity event, I feel like we should have been on a first name basis ages ago," she smiled warmly. Even as a completely straight woman (Korra enjoyed the company of a man too much to abstain from it), she_ even found herself_ attracted to the brunette. Asami was well-mannered, polite, and beautiful.

"Of course, of course," she smiled at her. "The event looks spectacular. I'm sure your mother would be very proud to know her daughter was doing such a great job and honoring her by continuing it."

The heiress's eyes lit up. "Really? Thanks," she smiled. "I'm so glad you think so. Really, it means everything to me. More than Future Industries - but don't tell Dad that," Asami joked. "Mako's really a lucky guy, you know."

"Eh?" Korra asked, reaching to grab a glass of champagne for herself and the young woman from a passerby with a tray.

"You don't know how hard I was fighting for you to be my assistant after your old boss left. I truthfully expected us to promote internally," she explained. "I fought tooth and nail. But when I found out Mako would be getting the job, I let him have you. Mako deserves the best."

"So you guys are... amicable?" she couldn't resist asking.

"Amicable is... nicely put. We're professional. But I would love to be amicable. I just feel horrible about how everything went. But that's okay, because he has you now!" Asami smiled.

The younger female crinkled her nose a bit, taking a sip of champagne. "I mean, I'm a good assistant, but I'm no girlfriend."

"Oh, I-" Asami flushed. "I'm sorry, I just heard - begging your pardon, Korra. I shouldn't have assumed the rumors were true. If anything, I should know what it's like to be the victim of a rumor."

"It's alright, but what do you mean?"

The jade eyed woman waved her hands at the assistant absently. "Don't mind me. Enjoy the party. Remember to come take a photo with me later, okay? Enjoy the party!"

"Korra," Bolin said, hooking his am around her neck. "Sorry we wandered off. Oh, that's Asami. Did you two talk?"

"Yeah, she's... oh, she was just introducing herself. I've never met her before," Korra explained.

"Met who?" Mako asked.

"Jesus Christ," Korra hissed, putting a hand over her heart. "You scared the living daylights out of me."

He shrugged, checking his watch. "Sorry."

The cobalt eyed woman looked at him and stuck her tongue out. He snorted and rolled his eyes, taking a sip then explaining, "Howl was waiting to get you a dry martini-" Korra's face must have conveyed her message accurately because he quickly said, "but I told him you liked _dirty _martinis with olives."

"Oh, thanks," she said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

Mako nodded at her once, checking the time on his watch - again. What was he so anxious about?

"You, uh, you clean up good," Korra said, giving him a once over. He looked similar to his brother, but was wearing a black bowtie instead.

He mumbled something in reply she didn't quite hear and she nudged him with her elbow lightly.

"Huh?"

He raised his voice a bit, avoiding her gaze. "I said you looked beautiful," Mako repeated, both flustered and annoyed he had to repeat himself, shoving his hand in his pocket. "I'm going for a smoke. I'll be back in a minute."

"What crawled up his ass and died?" Korra grumbled to the other brother as Howl returned.

"Did you really have to ask?" Bolin made a small face and jerked his head in the direction of Asami.

The stunning brunette had her hand laced through the small nook of an arm of a man in his early thirties wearing what looked to be an Navy uniform. New boyfriend. Korra knew the feeling all too well. What she failed to notice was the glint on Asami's left ring finger.

* * *

"You really should quit," her voice rang in his ears as he leaned over the edge of a balcony, playing with the lighter.

"Probably," he flicked the end of the cigarette.

"I would have never guessed you to be a smoker to be honest. You seem too anal about being healthy or something," Korra said, leaning against the wall beside him.

Mako snorted. "I picked up in high school when my dad was... sick. I quit sophomore year in college. Anymore, it seems to be my go-to when I'm stressed out."

"Is it because of Asami and that guy? Because, like, she's beautiful - but you tell me all the time, there's plenty of fish in the sea." she said, linking her arm with his.

"Don't," he pleaded, pulling his arm away. "Please."

"I know you're hurting because of Asami, but you'll find someone else. Like I did after Tahno. You're this love guru for some unknown reason, so it's not like it would be that hard for you," she said, fidgeting with the red scarf around his neck.

"This has nothing to do with Asami. I accepted her and Iroh a long time ago. I'm not ready to be part of the bridal party at the wedding, but she and I have made our peace," Mako snapped, taking a drag on the cigarette before sticking it in an ashtray and pulling out the pack again.

Korra snatched it from him. "Chain smoking isn't a solution."

"Who made you my mother?" he glared at her. "Whatever, do what you want, Korra. Or who you want, I guess."

"Seriously!" she screeched. "What kind of freaking low blow is that! That's none of your business."

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right - it's not. Glad you find a reason to continually bring your relationship up every single time you and I hang out. You don't have to rub it in, Korra."

"I'm not rubbing it in! Not everything is about you, Mako!" she balled up her fist and punched him aggressively - though not hard enough to form a bruise - in the shoulder.

"Nope, just about you," he said dryly, grabbing her arm and looking in her eyes. "I respect you, I respect Howl - but I want a friend who can talk about more than her 'boyfriend' who can only say how _great_ she looks when she deserves to hear she looks_ beautiful_."

"How do you-?" she began, blinking rapidly.

Mako leaned in and Korra could smell his cologne and mixed with the faint scent of tobacco. "That's all he said at the bar. 'Doesn't she look great? Korra's great. She's just so great.' When are you going to get it through your head, Korra? You're not just great or cool - you're beautiful and amazing."

Her blood was pumping and her skin felt like she had been zapped by a small bolt of electricity where his skin touched hers. It reminded her of how she felt with her first boyfriend. The young woman exhaled deeply, watching her boss's movements. Was he getting closer? She couldn't tell - her brain seemed to have shut off.

Mako finally let go of her arm and shrugged out of his jacket. He wrapped it around her shoulders and rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"Can't afford you getting sick."

* * *

_Posted: 07/23/2012_

**A/N: **First of all, sorry this has taken me so long to put out. I literally haven't had time. I'm an internal manager at work now so I have to dedicate a lot of time to restructuring the internal operations for efficiency. Translation? It takes a LOT of time. My hours have nearly doubled, and the majority of them are spent doing work at home. So thur now we had some Korrasami (let's be real it's hot) and some Irosami (those babies would just be flawfree tbh).

With respect to pacing of the story, I get a little mixed feelings between it being too fast or it's just right - keep in mind this will be 6-8 chapters at the MOST (I'm leaning towards maybe 6 possibly 7 right now). It seems fast because it _is _fast - but just like LoK, the time pacing of the story should be implied. At this point, Mako and Korra have known each other for about a month and a half and Howl and Korra have been dating exclusively for a little less than that. I am - however - happy to hear everyone thinks I've kept the characters IC. I'm working really hard to do that, which is pretty difficult since this is a sort of new setting for them entirely. ;) Let me know if I ever cross a line! I'll try to explain why something is the way it is, and if I agree with your legitimate point I'll work to amend it. ;)

Oh, and um - WHAT? 120+ reviews for 3 chapters? You guys rock! Thanks to my reviewers and ghost readers that favorite/alert the story and me. Let me love you all!

**MissMecurial: **bah that part was a series of typos but I edited it to make the flow less plot hole-y. Thanks for pointing it out though!

**fire tribe grl: **Mako's ('my') philosophy does work if your main goal is** not** to fall in love or keep some sort of dominance over the relationship. The reality is when you are in love you make a lot of sacrifices/compromises to keep your partner happy. It's not necessarily appeasing, but we can all admit that there's a huge difference in expectations of behavior between a single man/woman and one in a committed relationship. lol! ;)

**feathersnow: **rofl I do not recommend trying this unless you want to have a short-term relationship!

**Panda: **oh gosh a fanfic idol! lol you flatter me! thank you so very much! Ah yes! :3 I'm a little proud of my Sun Tzu idea rofl.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or anything pertaining to it.

* * *

**The Art of Dating**

Chapter 5: Intelligence and Espionage

* * *

"Can't afford you getting sick," he said, brushing her cheek with his fingertips. The contact was so brief, so delicate she almost didn't entirely process it. And yet, her skin felt electrified where he had touched her. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and she couldn't swallow it back down. Her palms were sweating - in the cold? That didn't seem logical. It seemed like being cold in the summer; normal people didn't do that. Normal people shouldn't sweat in the cold.

Her mind came reeling back when she became aware of him pulling back. Just as quickly as he had touched her, she felt the warmth of his hand leave. Her eyes glanced up for a moment - long enough to catch his amber eyes. Did they always have that much gold in them? She could have sworn there was more brown.

"Mako," the voice was strained. It felt like an eternity before Korra finally registered it was her own voice. "I can't-"

"Can't? Can't what?" he raised his eyebrows and stood upright, shoulders square and hands thrusted in his pockets, like a clean cut, Ivy League-educated CFO for a Fortune 500 company. Like her boss, because he _was_ her boss.

Suddenly she felt stupid and childish and ridiculous for even having considered the idea that Mako was remotely attracted to her, that he had even for the briefest second considered her as a suitable lover. They were just friends, at best. At worst, employee and employer.

"Sorry, I think I misunderstood," she said hoarsely. Korra felt like she was screaming but Mako's expression looked strained. She repeated herself a bit louder and he coughed into his fist uncomfortably.

"I beg your pardon for having given that impression. You and Howl - I respect it. I wouldn't do that to one of my friends," he replied coldly.

Mako excelled at coldness. Maybe that's why he was so good at number crunching. She felt very stupid all the sudden, and didn't want to open her mouth again. No, she preferred the idea of crawling in a dark hole with lots of chocolate, popcorn, and _Sex and the City_ reruns. And a plethora of chick flicks.

"Sorry," she muttered.

He gave a stiff nod, then looked over his shoulder. "Please excuse me, Miss Korra," he said then took his leave. _Miss Korra?_

Korra suddenly felt very alone.

* * *

"Baby," Howl mumbled against Korra's lips before pressing his own against hers again.

She struggled to focus on the present - on her awkward boyfriend trying to make out with her, on the man she had been dating for several weeks trying to make it past second base - but all she could concentrate on was her friend Mako. No - her boss Mako. Her boss Mako who had caressed her. Her boss Mako who just... ugh! She couldn't put her finger on it.

Mako was a hard one to peg; she assumed he was frustrated about Asami and who seemed to be her new beau, but when she went to comfort him, he had lashed out. Was he just extrapolating frustrations about his ex-lover onto Korra because he was jealous she had a relationship with someone and he didn't, or was something else going on?

Korra wasn't naïve enough to completely dismiss the idea of dating Mako, but then she had never considered it that way. He was attractive, intelligent, confident, and brooding - but wasn't that type of guy very... high school-ish? And as Pema liked to remind her, Korra wasn't a therapist and it wasn't her job to "fix" guys. She didn't need a project, she needed a boyfriend. And maybe, one day, a husband.

The light clicked on suddenly and Howl jerked away from Korra as if he had been stung by a bee. "What the hell was that?"

"The hell was what? I'm sorry," she wiped her lower lip with the back of her hand and tried to bring her mind back to the present. "I'm just a little tired-"

"Don't even start," he looked wounded by something.

Was it because her mind was elsewhere? Korra in the past had been a very attentive lover when she was focused, but tonight she was tired and a bit confused by Mako's actions towards her.

"I'd love to know why the hell my girlfriend is moaning another man's name while we're making out - no less, the name of _my _best friend and _her _employer. The man who got us together!" The young man began buttoning his shirt back up and collected his tie from the floor.

"Howl, it isn't like tha-"

"Then what is it like?" he demanded, pulling his jacket on and cramming his things in the pockets haphazardly. "Are you screwing him?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "What? Where is this coming from?"

"Answer the question," he snapped. "You guys spend an awful lot of time together and you're always flirting, and hugging, and touching, and laughing. It's not that much of a stretch to imagine, Korra. So one more time - are you sleeping with Mako?"

The brunette shook her head. "Howl, no-"

Howl snorted and thrusted a finger in her direction. "Then maybe you should consider whether or not it's even me you want to be sleeping with since your mind is elsewhere. Call me when you figure it out."

And just like that, Korra was alone again.

* * *

"So, how was the swanky party?" Jia asked Korra from her desk.

Korra loosened the scarf wound around her neck and began unfastening the buttons as she walked to her own office. "It was nice, I guess. Yeah."

"That description is riveting," Jia said as she walked towards Korra's office and poked her head in the door.

"Sorry, I'm just tired. Long weekend."

"Spill. Especially since you totally bailed on shopping," the receptionist whined.

Korra frowned. "I'm sorry, I just wasn't feeling up to it. Howl and I got into a fight, and Mako's... being moody. I don't know, it's complicated."

"Mako being moody?" Jia snorted. "What else is new? But what's the fight you and Howl got into?"

"Jia, I wasn't aware we were paying you to discuss weekend gossip," a cool female voice interrupted.

Jia blinked and turned around quickly. "I was just on my way back to the- oh! Miss Sato! I haven't seen you in forever."

Asami smiled and gave a warm laugh. "Good to see you, too. I wish you could have made it to the party. I was sorry to hear your nephew was sick and you had to care for him. You were sorely missed."

"I'll just have to make the next one," she smiled, leaning against the desk and pressing her arms behind her.

Korra ran a hand through her unruly dark hair while the two women chatted amicably. Her eyes flickered up for a moment to catch Asami and Jia chatting amicably; Asami was gorgeous. She had put on just enough to makeup to accent her stunning green eyes and the muted red lipstick she had chosen made her look like a 1950s pin up star - a sex icon that would remain timeless. Like Marilyn Monroe. Or Elizabeth Taylor. Any of those women. And she and Mako looked so good together.

"Earth to Korra," Jia snapped her fingers in Korra's face. "Way to space out."

"Sorry," she replied, pressing the enter button on her keyboard rapidly as if it would make it login faster.

"Jia, could I have a word with Korra?" Asami asked, going to remove her gloves and tucking a stray hair back behind her ear. "It'll just be for a moment."

"No prob!" Jia smiled and left, closing the door behind her.

"I wanted to speak to you about my slip at the party. I usually am not one to pay attention to idle gossip, but even my father was saying you and Mako got along famously, and Bolin mentioned the two of you were spending a lot of time together. I even saw how he looked at you - and, well, I just felt horrible. I've been the victim of gossip before and-" Asami began, twisting her gloves in the palm of her hand.

Was she nervous? This certainly was an awkward conversation. Korra had been desperately hoping it would have been something pertaining to work - though something deep down inside gave her the indication it would be about Mako. Everything seemed to be about Mako. Everything in her life anymore was connected to Mako. _  
_

"Asami," Korra began, inhaling sharply. "I haven't thought much about it." A small lie; Korra had thought about what kind of bravery it took Asami to speak to her ex-boyfriend's alleged lover, but in all honesty, the personal assistant never took the heiress's comment offensively.

"Really?" Asami sighed in relief. "I'm so glad. You know, this guy I went to high school with, he did poly-sci in college, and then ended up working as the chief of staff for the governor of Florida. Well, all he talks about is the ridiculous atmosphere of politics. Silly me, I'm thinking I avoided that nonsense by majoring in foreign languages and marketing. Hmph. I dare say office politics are more treacherous waters than national politics."

Korra cracked a small smile and glanced down at the screen to watch her mouse hover over the email icon. "Yeah, I understand. I've dealt with it before. Ma- Mr. Mako," she corrected herself, "and I are great friends, but nothing more. He actually introduced me to the guy I'm dating now."

Asami clicked her tongue and gave an apologetic look, though it didn't seem to be directed at Korra. "Mako's always been good at setting others up. I met my fiancée through him."

"Your fiancée? I had no idea; no one told me," Korra blinked in surprise, feeling slightly embarrassed she hadn't noticed the glistening stone set in white gold on Asami's ring finger. "It's a beautiful ring. I'm surprised Future Industries isn't bustling with the news."

"Definitely something intentionally done," she replied, taking a seat in one of the two chairs opposite Korra's position. "See, the thing is - oh, wait, you're on the clock and Mako's a bit particular about chatting during work hours," she commented, checking her wristwatch. Korra noted it was on par with the level of luxury as everything else Asami wore - stylish, glamorous, and expensive. The girl was more put together than most women twice her age.

"Oh, well, hm," Korra replied awkwardly, unsure of what to say in the situation. Did she insist it was okay? Mako was already edgy with her; she didn't need to set him off. Maybe she could suggest they get together later, but then again, she presumed Mako wouldn't take kindly to his right-hand man (or woman, as it were) to be buddying up to his ex. On the other hand, she didn't want to rub the heiress to Future Industries the wrong way either and blow her off. Asami was completely on target - office politics were messy.

Asami tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! We'll do lunch. I'll run it by Mako, and let him know it's regarding some final details regarding the charity event - which, technically we do need to do - but we'll also make sure to brush over on this conversation. That way, if we run a little late, it's still overall for work, and he won't be too upset. Does that sound good?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess that's fine. No problem. Thanks, Ms. Sato," Korra gave as genuine a smile as she could muster. It wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to the lunch, she just had a thousand and one things on her mind including, but not limited to, her boss that had thoroughly confused her, her pissed off and jealous boyfriend (question mark?), why her boss's ex-girlfriend had a sudden interest in her, and how she was going to muster the courage to talk to Mako about his schedule for the upcoming month.

"Just call me Asami, Korra," she reminded, then took her leave. "I'll make the reservation and get Jia to give you the details. See you soon."

Korra prayed they were serving wine at lunch. It was only Monday, but she could just tell it was definitely going to be one of those weeks.

* * *

"I owe you a story, don't I?" Asami said, smoothing the wrinkles out of her neatly pressed skirt. "About myself, Mako, and Iroh."

"Your relationships with Mako, and really any man for that matter, aren't any of my business," Korra replied cautiously. "The art of dating is complicated enough. You aren't obligated to give me any reason for any part of it."

"The art of dating, huh?" Asami chuckled. "So Mako's got you indoctrinated with that stuff." She looked a little sad, adjusting the silverware until they were in a perfect line.

Korra fidgeted with her fingers, popping her knuckles anxiously. "Indoctrinated? No, no, of course not-"

"I've heard that bit about the 'art of dating' before. Like it's some sort of game, or it's part two to Sun Tzu's book. Mako and I met when we were 19. We were a complicated couple. His dad passed away shortly after that. It was a hard time for him. I think he was always a bit closer to his mother, but his father was kind of his idol. Bolin was upset, but Mako was devastated. After that, things just went downhill and around that time he contemplated joining the Navy. He introduced me to this one guy he had met when he was in Okinawa. His name was Iroh. I actually ended up spending a lot of time in Japan, and Iroh offered to show me around when I was in Okinawa, and really just looked after me - especially when Mako moved back to Hawaii to tend to his then ailing mother. But I could just tell something was a little broken about Mako, and when we eventually had our falling out - not immediately after, but very slowly after, Iroh and I began dating. Iroh proposed to me last month, and here we are now, I suppose."

Korra sat quietly, tracing her finger around the base of her wine glass and trying to digest the story Asami told. It was sad and obviously the SparkNotes version of the story, but she still didn't quite understand why she was telling her all this. A few seconds later, the salads arrived, and Korra hoped the intermission of food would lead to a business chat and take away the awkward tension.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm telling you all this," Asami said between delicate bites. Everything she did was so dainty and delicate; it was like a porcelain doll or something. Hmph. Korra still couldn't perceive why she was so fixated on how Asami carried herself.

She reached over and grabbed the glass of water, taking a sip before swallowing and shaking her head. Korra shielded her mouth with her fingers as she replied, "Actually, to be honest, sort of, yes."

"Though Mako and I broke up, his brother Bolin and I were fairly close. I consider Bolin a brother of sorts to this day. Bolin told me Mako felt like I had been cheating on him ever since I met Iroh, and that I had left him ultimately to be with Iroh. After that, he just turned cold and jaded, to be honest. That's about the time he started this charade of 'art of dating' to take his emotions out of the equation and make it seem like a game. Mako and I ended up being at the same function in Los Angeles one year and it was the same man on the outside, but the one on the inside was radically different. He talked to women as if they were disposable pleasures - something to keep him entertained for a short period of time, then move on from. That was never the Mako I knew._ My_ Mako, my first love, was a man who treasured his woman, who treated her like a princess, and always valued his own interests subpar to whatever was best for her. And just when I thought I would never see that man again, you came along. Or, well, he came to find you. So when I saw how he looked when he spoke of you and more so when he looked at you - I saw a glimmer of that man again, and I just assumed the rumors were true. They _had_ to be, in my mind, for that man to come back. I suppose I must admit I was a bit disappointed when I heard you were dating someone else," she elaborated.

Korra ate quietly, but the more Asami talked, the more she felt like throwing up. Eventually, she gave up on the salad, and took to pushing scraps of lettuce drowned in salad dressing around the plate. Asami _wanted_ Korra and Mako to be dating? What an unusual ex-girlfriend. Most, regardless of their current status, seem to be rather protective and defensive of their former flames seeing anyone else. It just seemed the natural archetype.

"I didn't mean to offend you, or seem like I'm trying to push Mako onto you. I assure you that's not my intention. By all means, if you're happy with your current boyfriend, I would feel terribly if you felt this obligation to be with Mako. I just wanted to explain why I said what I said to you and give you a little insight," Asami said. "I really do worry for him; he's so wrapped up in his dating games, I fear he'll never find the happiness he truly deserves."

"It's kind of you to be so concerned," Korra said. "Most ex-girlfriends, myself included, aren't so generous."

"Hm. Perhaps, then, I would argue they never did love that person the way they thought they did. There are two parts to love; the first, in my opinion, is regarding the happiness of your partner above your own."

Korra looked up. "And the second?"

"Loving someone for their vices; to love someone for their values is infatuation. But to love someone for their flaws? Now that is a true challenge in itself. Think of every man you've ever thought you loved - did you love him for just the good, or were you accepting of the bad as well?"

* * *

"Have you seen Korra today?" Mako asked Jia, going to check his iPhone for the time. As soon as he replaced it in his pocket, he realized he hadn't actually remembered the time and fished it back out to check again.

"She's at lunch with Ms. Sato. You should have gotten a notification about it. She called me and told me she sent you an email," Jia replied, not looking away from her monitor.

The young man groaned. "Audits are coming up, I can't have the one woman who has singlehandedly organized my work life out til dusk on a lunch date."

"Don't get your bra in a twist, Mako," Korra joked as she came up behind him. "I just got back, we were barely gone over an hour for lunch. Just talking some minor details to wrap up the charity event and stuff." She began walking to her office and peeled off her coat before slinging it over her spinning office chair.

"And don't you think it's appropriate to tell your boss before you go galavanting about the city on a lunch date?"

She waved her hand and snorted. "Jesus, Mako, it was an hour for lunch, not a week long fiesta. Now what is it you want, Mr. Grumpy Pants?"

"I want my schedule. You can't be the only person with a copy of my schedule," he stated as calmly as he could. In all honesty, he wanted to strangle her for her sass sometimes.

"I can be if I'm the only person who will keep up with it. Yes, I've seen your office and your house but I've also seen your briefcase, drawers, filing cabinets, and other miscellaneous storage areas and I have to tell you, we may need to call an exterminator to eradicate the potential health hazards."

"Stop with the theatrics," he snapped. "Just bring me a copy of my schedule soon."

Korra stood there looking hurt while Mako headed back towards his office. Most of their relationship consisted of the two of them teasing each other and horsing around; the two of them even wrestled at his apartment for control of the remote. He had never snapped at her like that before, though. Maybe he was out of line.

When he turned around to apologize, she was gone and he was left feeling like a jerk. His train of thought was interrupted when he felt a vibrating coming from his pocket.

Mako checked the caller ID to see it was Howl. "Hey, Howl. What's up? Haven't heard from you since this past weekend. Want to grab a beer toni-"

"No," Howl cut in. "Is Korra there?"

"Uh, she just got back from lunch? She's got her cell and her office phone, try those numbers," he replied.

"Why should I, the two of you are always together?"

"Woah," Mako made a face, moving to his office and closing the door. "I don't think I like your tone."

"My tone? Really? Well, I don't think I like the idea of you sleeping with my girlfriend," Howl snapped back.

"What?" Mako blinked in shock. "I didn't! I've never slept with Korra, ever. I'm not that kind of friend, you know it."

Howl gave a bitter laugh. "How am I supposed to believe that when the two of you are stuck on each other like glue, the way you look at each other, the fact you're always on her mind regardless of what we're doing? It's just like you to just swoop in on a girl because you're the great and mighty Mako, and the rest of us are just plebeians living in your presences. You know what, you two deserve each other. You're both backstabbers and traitors. So go ahead, let me know how she is. Though I'm sure you already know."

The line clicked before Mako could deny any of the allegations from his friend. Before he realized it, he was standing in the door frame of Korra's office.

"We need to talk."

* * *

_Posted: 11/14/2012_

**A/N: **OH MY GOD, let me just say I hated this chapter lol. It's not my finest work, but it's a transition chapter, and I felt there was a lot that had to be cleared up. Thanks for everyone who was patient with me and stuck with the story - I'm so sorry it took so long. My life is kind of a mess, and I've been trying to juggle some very difficult classes (I'm a 3rd year undergrad student doing grad work in addition to research) and preparations to study abroad. Ya girl be going to Italy in February! :3 If any of you live in Europe, we will be a lot closer sooner. In addition, final exams/papers are quickly approaching. I'll try and be a bit more balanced in the future, and I do again apologize for my unexpected hiatus. C'est la vie, non? For future references, I will make it known on my tumblr when I will update stories.. just ask me there (phoenix-queens is my url) if you want to know how it's coming... and I'll be happy to answer questions as they come.

Until then, I'm out! Stay tuned for more Makorra. There will be 2 more chapters, minimum.


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